Mumbai: Special video teasers comparing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s rule to Ram Rajya, meeting with UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and posters dotting Ayodhya announcing his impending visit: His faction of the Shiv Sena is doing everything it can to project Shinde as a Hindutva leader and the true heir to Bal Thackeray’s legacy.
Shinde will be reaching Ayodhya on 9 April — his first visit to the temple town since he became the chief minister last June.
“Ayodhya is a topic of our pride and devotion. The dream that Balashaheb Thackeray saw of having a grand temple at Ayodhya is getting constructed under PM Modi,” Shinde told reporters in Thane Friday. “And that’s why I thank PM Modi on behalf of all Ram bhakts that a dream is getting fulfilled. And we’re proud to say that Maharashtra is supplying teak wood for the construction.”
The visit is significant because Ayodhya has a special place in the Sena’s politics. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray was an advocate of the Ram Temple. Last June, Bal Thackeray’s grandson Aaditya Thackeray visited Ayodhya. Shinde had accompanied him, only to revolt against Aaditya’s father Uddhav a week later.
Shinde and rebel MLAs who fell out with Uddhav, cited his softened stance on Hindutva as one of the main reasons for their rebellion.
“One of the main agendas of Hindutva was Ram Mandir. The mandir is now being constructed. And we’ve already got the symbol of Lord Ram (bow and arrow),” Naresh Mhaske, the former mayor of Thane and Sena leader, told ThePrint.
Mhaske was one of the leaders who was sent ahead to Ayodhya to prepare for Shinde’s visit. He, however, denied any political significance to the visit.
“What more (message) has to be given? The main agenda of Hindutva was Ram Mandir and it’s getting built. We are just here to take ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram,” Mhaske told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, rival Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said Shinde had visited Ayodhya for the first time last June. “We’d shown him the route to Ayodhya. He had not visited the city before,” Raut told reporters Thursday.
“Nobody can stop anyone from visiting Ayodhya. But those who have sinned are now going to take ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram and that way, you are even polluting the region,” Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said.
Also Read: Shinde a ‘traitor’: Aaditya Thackeray leads MVA show of strength in CM’s bastion Thane
Shiv Sainiks to reach in large numbers
The Shiv Sena has planned in great details for the visit. Two special trains have been arranged to go to Ayodhya, with one from Thane and the other from Nashik, Mhaske said.
Sources from the Sena told ThePrint that 3,000-4,000 workers from Maharashtra and another 5,000-odd workers from Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to reach the temple town before Sunday. Shinde and his son Shrikant flagged off the train at 4 pm Friday.
According to the party, all functionaries, including its MPs and MLAs, are expected to visit Ayodhya with Shinde.
Shinde himself is scheduled to arrive at Lucknow Saturday and proceed to Ayodhya Sunday morning. He will then visit the under-construction Ram Temple and perform a ‘maha aarti’ on the banks of the Sharayu River.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Shinde took a dig at Uddhav, the leader he rebelled against in June. “(I) don’t know if others are scared of us, but we have made everyone work. Those who used to sit at home are now coming out on the road,” he said.
Meanwhile, the party has also released teasers comparing Shinde’s rule to Ram Rajya (Lord Rama’s kingdom).
Significance of Ayodhya for Shiv Sena
Ayodhya is a town of particular significance to the Shiv Sena’s politics, especially given its founder and “Hindu Hridaysamrat” Bal Thackeray’s stated position on the Ram Temple.
Both Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav and grandson Aaditya made visits to the temple after the former became the Maharashtra chief minister in 2019.
While Uddhav visited the temple in March 2020 upon completing 100 days in the CM’s office and donated Rs 1 crore for the construction of the temple, the latter, who visited the city only last year, reiterated that his party hadn’t moved away from Hindutva.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)